Out of Curiosity
by Murasaki416
Summary: The rumours were swirling around town. The animatronics at Freddy Fazbear s Pizzeria kill the night guard. Some people say they eat them. Others say they stuff them into suits. Some say they kidnap them for nefarious purposes, never to be seen again. Lyall had heard all of these rumours. But he wanted to know why more than it scared him. Rated T to be safe (I suck at summaries lol)
1. Chapter 1

**This story is loosely based on the Five Nights at Freddy's universe made by CrazyBird101 in her fanfiction "In the Flesh" (Highly recommend, by the way. It's very good). The animatronics are sort of "furry androids" as she put it herself.**

**I do not own the Five Nights at Freddy's franchise; all rights go to Scott Cawthon.**

**I do not own this alternate universe in its entirety. Original universe concept is by user CrazyBird101. (I am unsure if this is necessary, but better safe than sorry)**

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Lyall walked into the pizzeria, his hands trembling, struggling to put one foot in front of the other, trying to keep his breath level. He was terrified. He was excited. But above all. He was curious. He had heard the rumours that the animatronics at the Freddy Fazbear Pizzeria killed the night shift security guard, and the evidence showed that _something_ happened to those who took the night shift as all of them went missing.

On top of that, their animatronics are state-of-the-art models; programmed with real artificial intelligences and made of the finest materials, appearing to have real skin and fur. He read about the technology required to make them and the chance to see one in person made Lyall ecstatic! Seeing ones that were trying to kill him was simply exciting! Of course, being human, he did not want to die and the thought of them trying to kill him terrified him. But he has always been willing to put his fear aside for the sake of discovery. He could not wait to start his first shift!

He walked to the front, smiling like an idiot. The receptionist looked at him, "Can I help you?" she asked politely. "Yes. I am the new night guard. I would like to check-in for my shift." He said, managing to control his excitement enough to get something that resembles professionalism. The receptionist gave him an odd look, and then looked at the clock on her desk. "Um… two hours before you are supposed to start?" she asked, raising a brow curiously.

'oops…' Lyall thought to himself with a bit of an awkward chuckle. "Maybe a little early, but I am just very excited to start!" he said unable to hold his excitement anymore. "I mean, how often is it that you get a job that will be so exciting? I mean, killer animatronics? Alone at night? How thrilling! I mean, don't you wonder why they do it? What reason do they have to do that? Why- "Sir." The receptionist interrupted him, looking a little anxious and uncomfortably glancing at the animatronics who were standing on the stage behind the curtain, doing whatever it is they do.

She cleared her throat, "The animatronics here do not kill anyone. Fazbear Entertainment assures you that our facilities are the safest places to be for you and your children. The animatronics are here to protect and entertain you and nothing more." She said, sounding rehearsed and almost robotic. Lyall took note of this, but made no comment, knowing when to shut up. "Right… Anyway, I will just meander around until my shift starts, if that is alright." He asked, still wearing a smile. She looked at him, taking one more glance at the stage, "Just don't break anything…" She said, sounding like she wants to talk about anything else, or him to just leave.

Lyall's smile grew a bit more at that and went to explore the building before he would have to sit in the office for hours. He went to the game area and hide behind the entrance, checking over the corner to see if the receptionist was looking. She seemed to be focused on whatever she was doing on her computer. He looked around to see if there was anyone else that might stop him. No one.

Lyall smiled giddily as he quickly made his way to the stage and quickly and carefully climbed up.

And there they were. Freddy, Bonnie, and Chica. Three of the legendary Fazbear Entertainment animatronics. They appeared to be turned off, but something told Lyall they were only pretending. His heart started to race, fear and excitement making his thoughts race as well. He slowly walked in front of Freddy, his blue eyes just staring ahead at nothing, his face in a neutral expression. Lyall smiled excitedly. He was standing right in front of state-of the-art technology that was going to try and kill him come his shift. How exhilarating! Lyall slowly reached for the bear's stomach, and gently poked it. He felt muscles tense and the bear move a little, apparently startled by the touch.

Lyall jumped back, also startled and thinking he may just have to run, but the animatronic did not come after him. He was now looking at Lyall, with something of confusion on his face; still trying to appear in sleep mode or something. Lyall smiled again, loving the adrenaline rush.

"Fascinating…" Lyall said, not very loud but he knew the three in front of him heard. "I've heard the rumours. I've heard that you try, and usually succeed at that, to kill the night guards. Well, that's me now." He told them, unafraid and still very much excited. "And one way or another, I will find out why you do." He said, getting closer, eyes sparkling with curiosity and wonder. "Why do you kill? What do you do with them? Why only the night guards? Do you want to kill all humans? If so, why? What have humans done that makes you think we deserve to die? If not, that only makes it more curious why you kill." Lyall asked, gesticulating and walking back and forth as he asked a million questions, smiling like an idiot, occasionally looking at the animatronics to see if they react at all.

Nothing…

"I have some theories." He stated, seeming a little embarrassed, like a child showing a drawing to a parent. "One theory was that you eat them. Humans may not live in the wild like we once did, but we are still animals and thus, edible. But that did not make sense. You live in a pizzeria. You have a wide variety of foods to eat and make yourselves, and I'm sure that is tastier than human." He finished the thought with a bit of a giggle, seeming unaware of the animatronics' curious eyes falling on him.

"Another is that you just hate humans. I feel this one has more merit to it because it makes sense, there are many humans that hate humanity, so it is not unlikely for you to as well. But if that were so, why perform for them? Why live in their buildings? Why entertain and care for their children? It leaves these unanswered." He said looking down, grabbing his chin in thought.

"This theory I find the most likely as it has also been done by humans for the same reason. The sheer fun of it. Many hunters started capturing and hunting humans because of our intelligence making us difficult and exciting prey to hunt. And there have been plenty of killers who killed simply for enjoyment. I find this theory likely as it most easily explains why you would kill us. But it almost feels lazy… It makes it possible to overlook other details because it can just be explained as 'they do it for the fun of it.' Too easy…" Lyall said, getting lost in thought now and not paying attention to the animatronics who were looking at him, a mix of wonder, confusion, and restraint.

"But they say the easiest solution is usually the best, so it could just be that. Overthinking and making things more complicated than they are is a common flaw when trying to explain things. In any case, I believe I should be off. I'd like to see the rest of the building before I sit in that office for six hours." Lyall finished with a laugh as he walked the same way he came, making sure no one was watching again, and left.

Lyall let a sigh of relief out as he got off the stage. He may not be afraid to die, but he still did not want to. He did not feel safe around them, but he did not let his fear stop him. Even as a child he would push through his fears to learn something new. Even with spiders… he shivered at the thought. 'Eight-legged demons' was what he called them. But he did find them rather interesting. Especially their webs.

He walked through a few doorways to Pirate's Cove, wanting to pay a visit to the fourth member of the Fazbear team. He felt a bit more cautious this time. Foxy would be truly alone with him. No one would be close enough to save him if something were to happen and he was not sure if the fox was above chasing him…

He entered the cove and saw the stage with the purple curtain hanging over it, the only thing between him and the mechanical fox. His heart was pumping, excitement and fear set alight once again. He looked around again, seeing if anyone was looking.

Still nobody…

He slowly opened the curtain and stepped onto the stage. Standing in the middle was the famed pirate fox. Motionless like the others, but that could change at any moment…

Lyall's hands and feet did not want to move. Fear overpowering his will. He has a more likely chance of dying here than on the other stage, and that scared him terribly. He managed to find his voice and cleared his throat.

"Y… You should now that it would be troublesome to kill me here." Lyall said, slightly stuttering as he stepped closer, making sure to leave enough distance so if he needed to, he could just jump off the stage.

"The only choices would be hiding my body at the back of this rather small stage where a hundred children will be looking with many more lights than this. A-and you would miss the chance to hunt me during the night." He reasoned, fear gnawing at the corners of his mind, but he powered through it. He needed to get a feel for Foxy…

The fox looked at him, moving his head, making Lyall jump back and crouch slightly. "That be so, eh?" he said, an evil smile spreading across his face, raising his hook as it glinted in the dim light. "Ye that confident against us?" he asked, almost mockingly as he eyed the human up and down.

Lyall tried to swallow the lump in his throat, but he could not. He straightened his posture as much as he could, trying to control his fear. "Y-yes. I am c-confident that I can hold my own. But in any case, I am not here about that." Lyall said, his excitement starting to match his fear. "I am here about why you kill them. Your friends were not responsive. Though it seemed they were unused to the treatment." He continued, keeping his eyes on Foxy the whole time, not trusting the fox to be as docile as the others.

The pirate gave a confused look briefly, but it was covered quickly with his grin again. "So ye know we kill the night guard?" he asked, giving Lyall confirmation, thinking it would make him more afraid. He was surprised when Lyall instead looked at him as if he stated something obvious. "How could I not? It's the talk of the town and it's impossible to deny when you look at the disappearances of almost every person that has taken the night shift."

This made the fox keep his confused look. "Yet ye still took the job?" he asked, showing his confusion, 'why would someone take a job he knew was going to get him killed?' Lyall gave him a smile, "Of course." He said simply. "Why?" Foxy asked, getting more confused. Lyall's smile grew a bit and he gained that sparkle in his eye again, "I want to know why!" he said energetically, "Why kill them? What reasons do you have? Why only the night guard? Why still perform for children? Why still cooperate with the establishment? I have so many questions!" Lyall said, taking the pirate by surprise with his child-like energy as he stepped closer.

"Ye be a strange one…" Foxy said, being taken aback by how crazy this human seemed to be. Lyall giggled at that. "Not the first time I've been called that. And honestly among the nicest." He finished with a laugh, making the fox even more confused. "Ye best be gettin' to yer office." The fox warned, just wanting the human gone so he could process this.

"Aw… but you're the first one that I have spoken with." Lyall whined, folding his hands in front of him in a begging pose. "Leave." Foxy warned, his patience waning as he bared his teeth at Lyall. Lyall quickly turned and left, knowing when to quit… at least for now. He smiled, placing a hand over his racing heart. He hoped that he would not be tired when his shift started from how much adrenaline was rushing through him. He walked away from the stage to explore the rest of the building, see what else there is to see.

While exploring, he found a hallway with many doors. Normally he would just wander in and see what was in all the doors. But something made him afraid… This was not like the others, this one felt definite, like he _will _die if he goes there. He steered clear of that place, drawing the line on how far he would go to find something out.

He looked at the clock in the hall to see how much time had passed. 12:43. His heart sped up again, his shift was beginning soon. He quickly made his way to the office, eager to start his new, thrilling job as the night guard.

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**Thanks for reading my story! If you would like more, fear not! More is being written as we speak! Criticism is welcome and encouraged ) Until next time**


	2. Chapter 2

**Welcome to the second chapter. I happily take criticism on anything I write anyway, but this one especially I would like some criticism because what you are about to read is my attempt at suspenseful writing. You have been warned lol**

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Lyall ran through the halls to the office, not going to stay a minute longer in the open. Getting to the office, he walked into the small room seeing a chair, a monitor, and a door on each side. He looked at the buttons beside said doors, the top button was white and said "light", the bottom was red and marked "door".

'This is all I have to defend myself?' he thought, feeling a little dread build in his stomach. A sudden ringing made Lyall yelp as he spun to look at the desk, seeing a phone blinking. He let out a little sigh and sat at the desk, turning the monitor on to see if it was for the cameras, thinking that the phone will eventually stop.

He was right, and was greeted with the dark, static-y image of the main stage, and a simplified map of the establishment in the bottom right, with a little box at the bottom labeled "you". He looked at the animatronics on the stage. Freddy, Bonnie, and Chica just standing still as statues, staring ahead at nothing. Lyall felt a shiver run down his spine, the animatronics looking a lot more menacing in this light. He answered the phone finally, silencing its ring.

"_Hello? Hello, hello? Uh, I wanted record a message for you… to help you get settled in on your first night._" The recorded voice said, sounding preoccupied with something. If this was the previous guard, he may have some useful advice, Lyall continued to listen to him as he looked through the cameras. Nothing happening yet…

"_Um, I actually worked in that office before you, I'm actually finishing up my last week now as a matter of fact. So, I know it can be a bit overwhelming. But I'm here to tell you that there's nothing to worry about. You'll be fine. So, let's just focus on getting you through your first week, okay?_" Lyall rested his head on his hand, 'If I have to listen to this guy all night, I may just ask them to kill me.' he thought with a slight laugh as he continued to listen and look through the cameras.

"_Uh, let's see, first there's an introductory greeting from the company. Uh, it's kind of a legal thing, you know._" 'Splendid…' Lyall thought to himself, wondering why nothing was happening. "_Um, "Welcome to Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. A magical place for kids and grown-ups alike, where fantasy and fun come to life. Fazbear Entertainment is not responsible for damage to property or person. Upon discovering that damage or death has occurred, a missing person report will be filed within 90 days, or as soon property and premises have been thoroughly cleaned and bleached, and the carpets have been replaced._"

Lyall raised his head and looked at the phone in disbelief. 'If that does not confirm they will kill me, I don't know what does. But it still does not answer anything…' Lyall thought, a little frustrated at how totally useless this message has been. He looked through the cameras again, stopping on one labeled "storage closet". He saw animatronic heads lined on the shelves, their mouths hanging open and their empty eyes seeming to stare at him. He shivered and change the camera.

"_Blah blah blah, now that might sound bad, I know, but there's really nothing to worry about. Uh, the animatronic characters here do get a bit quirky at night, but do I blame them? No. If I were forced to sing those same stupid song-_ "Alright, I've had enough…" Lyall said, turning off the message. If there was something useful in there, it is too little to be worth sitting through that.

Lyall had noticed the power percentage, which he found odd, but thought that was a measure to save money for the company… He tapped on the main stage and saw that Bonnie was gone. Instantly Lyall's heart started to pick up its pace, 'Finally, something exciting!' he thought as a smile spread across his face. He immediately started flipping through the cameras to find him, only to be a little disappointed that he just moved into the dining hall.

His smile quickly left. 'They must be going slow so I can get used to this…' Lyall thought, turning the monitor off to save power. 'But why?...' he wondered. He looked at the door to his left, 'Perhaps to distract me.' He thought before pressing the light button, looking for a potential sneaky animatronic.

Nothing.

He did the same on the right.

Nothing…

'What are they doing?' he wondered, getting confused as to why they were not just going for him. He turned the monitor back on and saw Bonnie was not in the dining hall, replaced by Chica. The chicken hiding in the shadows, only a silhouette of her could be seen but he could tell she was staring right at the camera. He flicked through the cameras again, looking for Bonnie.

He found the purple rabbit in the west closet, staring directly at the camera. His red eyes staring at the camera and despite no longer pretending to just be still, he still held a neutral expression. Somehow, that made him more menacing… Despite knowing otherwise, in this light, Lyall thought the rabbit looked like nothing more than an emotionless robot…

Suddenly, loud banging and clanking noises rang through the pizzeria, startling Lyall and making him yelp. He tapped on the kitchen camera but got nothing but static and the fuzzy audio the cameras picked up. He tapped on the dining hall and saw that Chica was gone. He flipped through the cameras looking for her but found her in none of the other cameras. 'Perhaps she's in the kitchen. It would make sense.' Lyall thought to himself, 'But why would she make so much noise?'

Suddenly remembering Bonnie, Lyall quickly tapped on the closet camera. Hoping he was still there.

But he was gone…

Lyall immediately leapt to the door on his left and then his right, checking the lights. Bonnie's shadow being cast down the hall on his left. He swallowed nervously. 'That was a little too close for comfort…' he thought, fear growing in the pit of his stomach. He looked at the power, "76%", he looked at the time. "2:32". Was that enough? He needed to look at the cameras less… Conserve as much power as possible.

Perhaps he has gone in over his head this time…

_4 hours later_

Lyall had found a little bit of a rhythm to them, and ways to deal with them. Bonnie would come to the left door, but if he flashed the light enough, he would leave sooner, saving power. Chica preferred to be in the kitchen, but if she did come, she only came to the right door, but she would leave sooner if he ignored her. Freddy never left the stage, though he would stare at the camera. Foxy would peak out of his curtain, but also did not leave his stage.

Lyall nearly jumped out of his chair at the sound of the digital clock on his desk ringing like a bell. He let out a heavy sigh of relief, 6 at last…

He knew his shift was officially over now, but just to be safe, he was going to wait a little longer before he left. At least until someone else came in…

He checked the main stage camera and saw all three animatronics standing in their rightful spots and Foxy was hiding behind his curtain again. Everything pointed to it being safe to leave… Against his better judgement, he decided to put trust in them and walk out.

He stood up, his legs feeling wobbly and his shoulders hurting slightly from how tense he was. He leaned out of the left door cautiously, peering down the hall. Seeing nothing, he started walking to the main hall. The building seeming less friendly and colder than he remembered. Though perhaps now he is just paying more attention to it. Either way, he does not like this building as much anymore…

He entered the main hall, shivering slightly. He walked past the stage, the curtain having been draw, presumably from them coming and going and in preparation for the show. Though he did not dare look at the animatronics. He needed to process what happened and sort out what he knew and find out how to use it against them. So many things just did not make sense…

Why did they wait? Why did they move so slow? Why did they leave if he closed the door? They had to know that he had limited power and could only keep the door closed for so long, why not just wait? They clearly had the patience for it. Why did they constantly stare at the cameras? What did they stand to gain from scaring him? Perhaps to try and make him hysteric so he will lose his edge and they can catch him… but it did not seem that way… it was like they were playing with him…

As he thought that, it clicked in his head.

That was exactly what they were doing.

That was why they acted the way they did. They were playing with him. That was why they moved slowly and predictably. They were "teaching" him how to play their game. Close the doors, check the lights, watch the cameras, save power. If he did all of this right and made it to 6 AM, he won the night.

He smiled, no longer scared. Like any game, you can win. And like all rules, they can be bent and have loopholes. He just needs to learn what those rules are…

He looked back at the animatronics on the stage, reinvigorated by his discovery. Freddy was looking at him, still with that neutral expression but he was looking for something in Lyall. He was looking for that fear. The fear for his life. Freddy wanted Lyall to be afraid.

Lyall got a spark in his eye. He had found a piece of the puzzle, and he was ready to find more. He was ready to solve it.

"I'll play your game, Freddy. And I promise you this: I'll win." He said, playfully smiling before leaving.

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**And there we have it! Chapter 2!**

**A month later… I apologise for how long this has taken (I honestly did not expect it to), but I was having trouble writing this chapter and I was worried that it would not be as good as the last.**


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